BELLYEOMAN SURGERY COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES
GUIDELINES FOR PATIENTS
If you have a complaint or concern about the service you have received from the doctors or any of the staff working in this practice, please let us know. We operate a practice complaints procedure as part of a NHS system for dealing with complaints. Our system meets national criteria.
How to complain
We hope that most problems can be sorted out easily and quickly, often at the time that they arise and with the person concerned. If you problem cannot be sorted out in this way and you wish to make a complaint, we would like you to let us know as soon as possible – ideally, within a matter of days or at most a few weeks – because this will enable us to establish what happened more easily. If it is not possible to do that, please let us have details of your complaint:
- Within 6 months of the incident that caused the problem; or
- Within 6 months of discovering that you have a problem, provided that this is within 12 months of the incident.
Complaints should be addressed in writing to the Practice Manager or any of the Doctors. Alternatively you may fill in a complaints form, available at the reception desk It will be a great help if you are as specific as possible about your complaint.
What shall we do?
We shall acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and aim to have looked into your complaint within 10 working days of the date when you raised it with us. We hopefully shall then be in a position to give you an explanation or if the matter is of a clinical nature, offer a meeting with those involved. If investigations are expected to take longer than 10 days we shall let you know. In investigating your complaint, we shall aim to:
- Find out what happened and what went wrong.
- Enable you to discuss the problem with those concerned, if you would like this.
- Ensure you receive an apology, where this is appropriate.
- Identify what we can do to make sure the problem doesn’t happen again.
Complaining on behalf of someone else
Please note that we keep strictly to the rules of medical confidentiality. If you are complaining on behalf of someone else, we have to know that you have his or her permission to do so. A note signed by the person concerned will be needed, unless they are incapable (because of illness) of providing this.
Patient Advice and Support Service
Patients can access the above service provided by Citizens Advice Scotland who can provide you with confidential, practical and emotional support and help you to understand your rights and responsibilities. You can contact them via their website www.cas.org.uk or call them on 0800 917 2127.
If you are still not satisfied
We hope that, if you have a problem, you will make use of our practice complaints procedure. We believe this will give us the best chance of putting right whatever has gone wrong and an opportunity to improve our Practice. If you are dissatisfied with the result of our investigation you should contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS. Tel 08003777330 www.spso.org.uk.
The SPSO investigates complaints about most organisations providing public services in Scotland.